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Introduction to Part I: Scientists Who Seek to Capture Criminal Minds
From crime labs to crime scenes working to solve the twisted puzzle of criminal minds, a new descriptive title recently has emerged to describe the interdisciplinary training required for 21st-century forensic science careers. Forensic scientists are forensic investigative scientists. Each word has relevance in the evolution of 21st-century version of forensic science. • Forensic —evidence must be processed and analyzed to a certainty in forensic labs and presented in a systematic way to sway juries in criminal cases; • Investigative —careful examination of evidence is required and, in the age of diminished capacity and neurolaw, additional psychological insights into the perpetrator ’ s state of mind during the commission of the crime is required; and • Scientist —a high standard of training, knowledge, expertise, and ability to communicate across disciplines is necessary for reliable criminal minds ’ capture and to prove criminal cases beyond reasonable doubts using advanced technology such as neuroscans and brain fi ngerprinting. In the 21st century, training in the classroom and in the field has become a pedagogical priority. In this regard, references appended at the end of chapters and included in the book ’ s bibliography have guided my perspectives over years of pedagogical development —how best to present the wondrous workings of sapient brains to college students pursuing degrees in the behavioral sciences and now, forensic investigative Introduction to Part I: Scientists Who Seek to Capture Criminal Minds 4 Analyzing Criminal Minds sciences. (I will persist in using “sapient brains” throughout the book to define the ability of our species— Homo sapiens —to act eventually with purposive, self-reflective judgments, and as a benchmark of the “reasonable man standard” in legal jurisprudence.) Is there a quantifiable process to explain how violent criminal minds emerge from sapient brains—the same brains with the potential to nurture offspring and to be law-abiding citizens? For compelling answers that square with cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology, we must turn to the study of spectrum psychopathy which will comprise, directly or indirectly, the subject matter of all twelve chapters. In the meantime, as students prepare for forensic science careers, optimal preparation suggests interdisciplinary training in the classroom.